Teenagers have always sought to be their own person, forgoing rules and even recommendations in favour of self-determination. While an honourable undertaking, this path to self-discovery, leads them to experience new ordeals, where mistakes will be made. To reassure us that these mistakes are not necessarily bad, Elizabeth Alexander, in her poem "Nineteen", illustrates how youth 's desire for freedom¬ and to escape from their reality allows them to grow into adulthood and leads them to make choices that will impact their perception of the world. This theme will be analysed through structure, symbolism and contrast.
Essay Outline (5%) 1. (Introduction) a) Thesis statement: In her poem “Nineteen”, in which she remembers about one summer, Elizabeth Alexander mentions the need for continuous psychological transformations, which are triggered by the curiosity of differences and the desire of learning from others. b) Plan of development: Through the use of symbolism, tone and contrast, Alexander puts the emphasis on the coming-of-age of the persona, which is significant regarding her personal growth. 2.
Aging is a phenomena not only of the body, but of the mind as well. It is situational in practice, giving each journey into adulthood its own “thumbprint”. One’s trials and tribulations gain emotional weight as they are encountered, but the weight one holds at certain periods of time can differ according to their background. The novels Flight, The Joy Luck Club, and The Glass Castle; however, enlighten the possibility of resembling another’s venture into maturity, despite distinct differences in general conditions. Together, these three novels endeavor into their protagonists’ personalities, and they thematically portray coming-of-age transformation.
The appeal of adulthood and independence reaches its apex in fervent children. However, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, poet of My Daughter at 14, Christmas Dance, 1981, conveys the paternal perspective of viewing one’s own kin experiencing the “real” world through her daughter’s first relationship. The Family of Little Feet, written by Sarah Cisneros, illuminates the negativities of young girl’s eagerness to physically develop in hope of acquiring attention from possible suitors. While both pieces of literature possess varying perspectives of epiphanies, Gillan and Cisneros divulge the significance of cherishing one’s youth, as the realities of maturity divest children of their innocence.
Everyone has certain childhood memories and objects that shape them and their identity. For Marilyn Nelson Waniek, one of these was a quilt. The speaker in this poem uses the literary techniques of diction and symbolism to show how childhood objects and circumstances, like the quilt, can shape and show our identity. The speaker also uses hyperboles to emphasize how important a sense of identity is to people and how that identity shapes our lives.
The author, Sandra Cisneros, uses literary techniques in “Eleven” to characterize Rachel by using metaphors, comparisons, and repetition. In the beginning of Sandra Cisneros’s short story, she states that when a person becomes an age older they will not feel a difference. The character Rachel explains that in different situations, for example, “Like some days you might say something stupid, and [you will feel ten]” a person might feel different from their actual age. She then competes growing old to layers of an onion, rings of a tree, wooden dolls that fit inside each other because, according to her, “that’s how being eleven years old is”.
We decide for ourselves what we become, and we use our previous knowledge to help us make choices that reflect who we are as individuals. The two stories tell us this in the sense of material objects: a quilt, and a butter churn. In conclusion, Teresa Palomo Acosta’s example of making quilts was from the poem, and the Alice Walker’s example was how the mother cherished her family’s handmade butter churn enough to use to use it everyday, shows that we see events of today with our memories
During the struggle of having a meaningful life, an individual must be able to define what is meaningful and how to obtain it. In the story excerpt “The Signature of All Things” by Elizabeth Gilbert, the protagonist, Alma, explores the part of her childhood where she breaks away from routine and makes the decision to make the most of the moment. To contrast, the poem “Atrophy” by Julia Copus explores the outcome of people who do not make the most of their lives and are stuck thinking of their wasted potential. An individual must routinely reconcile their past and present to obtain the power to make autonomous choices in order to create a meaningful life before the opportunity to grasp this power reaches its expiration date.
Little kids dream of being just like their parents, playing house, and growing old with the person they love, but too soon the dreams of little kids die as they realize that the adult world is not just the love stories, the one parents tell kids, the ones about how they met and fell in love. The adult world coomes with things that daydreams never include. Responsibilities, work, worries, pressure, lies, isolation, manipulation, limitations, rules, competition, bosses, taxes, politics. Everything is getting worse and never
In the case of the elderly, sometimes working with young children can bring them seemingly back to their younger selves. In worlds where interaction between people is bleak and often nonexistent, teenagers offer a contrast that can make adults curious again. And in a world so filled with meaningless pain that almost all lose hope, children are there to make them rethink
Each has written about the speaker’s experiences of growing up to become adults. Although they share similar theme, which is about the coming of age, each has portrayed the theme in different ways. Both “Crystal Stars Have Begun to Shine” and “12 years old” support the same theme, “coming of age” by struggles and expriences during relationships. However, each has different tone and way of showing the theme.
It is interesting how you can not ride a bicycle until you are nine, but you can have a job that plays an important role in the community. There is something that our communities have in common and in contrast at the same time about birthdays, however it is how when you get older, you have to do less community hours and projects. The woman is speaking at the ceremony of twelve says to the group “ ‘You’ll no longer be spending time with your group of Elevens. After the Ceremony of Twelve, you’ll be with your Assignment group, with those in training. No more volunteer hours.
Revision of “On Turning Ten” Essay Growing up and living in the adult world requires responsibility, knowledge, and independence. A poem by Billy Collins, “On Turning Ten,” describes a young child as he attempts to grasp the concept of growing up and facing the harsh reality of adult life. The narrator uses a melancholy tone to argue that adult life is challenging, and the best way to cope with these challenges is to reminisce about young childhood memories. The young narrator is convinced that adult life will not be much fun.
Have you ever been scared of going somewhere new? How about enrolling in a certain program? Did you want to just conceal yourself from the world around you? Maybe you stay that way for a while, but then you get up and realize that you have to move on, confront your fears, get on with life. The poem “Speech to the Young” by Gwendolyn Brooks is a poem talking to younger people that advises them on their lives going forward.
The principle of development and aging as a continual process of life is the understanding that a person’s behavior cannot be attributed to one time during a person’s life course and that all areas of a person’s life course have an impact (Schmalleger, 2012). One of the central organizing principles of the perspective is the link between human lives and social relationships with friends and family across a person’s life span. These relationships have considerable influence on a person’s life course (Schmalleger,
